(S22) - Ultimus Week

[Starboy]

Tier 1, Task 3

An interesting side of the league that has always interested me and caught my eye enough to make me become a GM was the entire draft process. There is something about the randomness and patience involved with drafting players that has gotten me excited since I was a young rookie in S16 and still is a major part of the league that I find amazing. The entry point for most in the league is the DSFL draft which helps them find out what exactly the league is all about and what to expect when they get around and discover how much involvement there is to make the league function.

While I was a GM, the DSFL draft was usually the second point of contact with someone after scouting them but the first time you can be far more open with them. Watching some players get drafted and seeing what they become was an amazing trip to be a part of and I always loved that part of it. Trying to determine who would draft who and when you needed to pull out your sleeper pick that you had been waiting on for the past few rounds was one of my favorite parts about being a DSFL GM and helping make those draftees become better players. Sure, that goes into a different side of the DSFL, but you have to draft the players in order to get them to become better players under your watch. I always loved seeing the draft cards for all the new players and imagining what they will be like once we invite them into the locker room and get to experience some of the new people coming into the league that become a major part of it.

There are other parts of the draft that make it insanely fun to participate in as well becomes it involves a certain level of strategy to predict what other teams will do, what certain players’ interests are, and how to create the best locker room experience overall for everyone entering into the team once the draft is streamed. It all becomes like a multiple sided game of chess with plenty of big moves and powerful minds all trying to make their chess pieces stronger and by taking others at precisely the right moment. The draft ends up becoming another game that the GMs have to play and master at in order to have their teams become powerhouses or stick around mid-tier teams forever. The layer of competition to get the most probable active players in the DSFL was something I enjoyed about the entire experience and also hated since sometimes you would take a huge risk on someone you had faith in but something unpredictable happens and ruins that player’s chances at becoming a great player for the league. Then the preventable mistakes happen, and you end up missing out on someone due to disagreements or just small things that are out of your control but could have been prevented from another source.

On a happier note, there is the other draft that I have not had control over but still find just as interesting and that is the NSFL Draft. This draft gets everyone excited because everyone is involved from trade deadline players to people not getting drafted with the point tasks and media surrounding the event. While this draft is more about positional needs over trying to keep players engaged, it still is a lot of fun to see where everyone goes and how they end up playing for the new teams to see what they become. While being a DSFL GM, it was fun to watch where your former players would go and what teams they end up on because sometimes you end up with a top five player on your team that becomes a major part of something much bigger. Then as a player, you never fully know where you might go and waiting for each next pick to come and hoping to see your name and feel your phone buzz with invites is amazing. If I could, I would constantly make players just to experience the feeling of getting drafted and try to get higher and higher each time.

All of these experiences add up to my favorite part of the entire NSFL and even sports as a whole with the draft. There are so many sides to the process and decisions that come down to some small detail that can play into major changes in the entire league that make everything so much more fun. Experiencing the draft as a DSFL GM and as a player have added to just how much fun the draft can be with watching your player and your teammates move on with new teams and getting to see just what moves cause players to reach the Hall of Fame.


(809 words)

[Mavfatha]

SHL PT

[Shiznit19]

Tier 2 - #7

Two Seasons into his NSFL Career, Slinky Claxton has begun making is mark on the league. Claxton, so far, has seemed to met expectations that he had established early on in the league. He has become a solid Defensive linemen and is ready to continue making his success into the NSFL. To start his career, he became a dominant run stopper for Portland and would earn himself a solid spot into the lineup. He would be drafted among the top tier of defensive ends after his first season and find himself on a great young draft class with the Arizona Outlaws. At this point, getting sent back down to the DSFL wasn’t necessarily Claxton’s big goal but the extra time to develop in the DSFL isn’t something that is viewed as a set back. This second season would give Claxton some much needed time to grow and develop some strong leadership skills. Prior to the season, Claxton would be named one of the team’s defensive captains would cemented his veteran role on the squad. This is a role than many had assumed Claxton would take on and was a big goal that he had set for himself going into the second season. Another big thing is what will his role be moving forward. Immediately after the Ultimus, Claxton would be traded to the Austin Copperheads in a move that seemingly fills a big role on Austin’s Defensive line. Going into his third season, it will surely be a challenge moving from the DSFL up to the NSFL. However, it is easy to see that teams in the big leagues see potential in Claxton. This move should allow Claxton to fit into a powerful defensive line and with a franchise that had won the Ultimus only a couple seasons ago. This move for Claxton means nothing but opportunity. On Arizona he was log jammed in a system that didn’t seem to have room for him. Now he is going to be able to go to a team where he can thrive and put in the minutes that it would take to make him a name to remember. It is hard to say where he will end up as far as awards go but he should be able to help earn a few wins along the way. Claxton is certainly eager to finally get his hands dirty in the NSFL and it is only a matter of time before we find what he can do in the big leagues.


Tier 3 - #16

During Season 22, my team, Portland Pythons were far superior to the London Royals whom squeaked into the playoffs above us. To start, our point differential was only -32 while theirs was a whopping -66. Portland seemed to be one of those teams that just couldn’t win the close games while London lucked into a few more wins throughout the year. With that being said, when London lost a game, they would get crushed far more often than Portland. More importantly, the head to head matchups between the two which also solidify this point. Although the two teams split the series 1-1 throughout the year, Portland’s win was a 27-6 throttling while London’s win they snuck by with a 29-20 close game. Not to completely take away from the playoff run that London had, but they shouldn’t have been there in the first place. You have to give them credit in their ability to slip by superior teams in close games though. It is what got them to the finals after an OT upset against the Minnesota Grey Ducks. You may wonder how they fared against Minnesota during the regular season? To no ones surprise, they went 0-2 losing 28-13 and 37-7. Their slippery ability to surpass a better team when the game is close is fluky. I think this season’s over achieving may give them a false sense of security going into next year.


Tier 3 - #17

My pick for Playoff MVP is a no brainer in going with Wolfie McDummy. To start off the Yeti’s playoff run, McDummy would face a pretty tough Sailfish defense. In this game, McDummy would lead his team to a commanding 26-0 lead to end the 3rd quarter. I wouldn’t say his stats necessarily popped in this game (possibly a reoccurring theme here) but the intangibles were evident. Leading the team to a casual 36-14 victory and moving on to face the Wraiths. Many saw the Wraiths as playoff favorites, once again, McDummy wouldn’t back down. McDummy played a game with very few mistakes and would do just enough to get the Yetis the upset. The highlight of this game was a series of long possessions to ensure the 1 point lead in the end. Last, McDummy would lead the Yetis to one of the greatest comebacks in Ultimini History. Having been down 21-3 halfway through the 3rd quarter, he would dig the Yetis out of a huge hole. Clutch throw after clutch throw, his determination was the difference maker in making sure the Yetis never gave up on their playoff hopes. All in all, McDummy had 1 rushing td in each game of the playoffs and only threw one interception. He simply was efficient enough and a strong enough leader to get the team where they needed. That’s why he is without a doubt my NSFL Playoff MVP.

[Billybolo53]

7) Selflessness is one thing, but ultimately everyone wants to hear their own player’s name mentioned among the greats. Take some time, in 400 words or more, and discuss how your player’s (or past player’s) career is going so far. Are you matching any expectations you set out for yourself? Do you see yourself on a potentially award winning or Hall of Fame career trajectory? If your player is just starting out, what goals and visions do you have for yourself?

Cuco Clemente formally know as Octavio Clemente is having a good start to his career. His development is amazing, he is up there with the very best Defensive tackles from his class and plans to stay there. As far as being on track for a Hall of fame career that may have taken a hit because Clemente was sent down to the DSFL for what should have been his rookie season in the NSFL. This is going to be a minor setback for Clemente because now he hits the NSFL more than ready. He will start his career at a high enough point TPE wise that he will be an instant contributor. I think Clemente will be a perennial pro bowler, esp in his conference there is Bubba Thumper and then the rest of the guys are super old. In a few season Clemente will be the highest TPE Player at his position and the sky is the limit. I think Clemente will also be in the running for the newly created Defensive Tackle of the year award that has significantly improved his chances of winning awards. While I do not necessarily agree with the change, Defensive tackles are notoriously difficult to achieve sexy stats with. You will never see a Defensive tackle win defensive player of the year. My goal for Clemente is for him to be a long tenured member of the Sarasota Sailfish. I want to be a main stay and go down as the best defensive tackle in the history of the franchise. It would be amazing to be apart of the first Ultimus is team history. That is what I have my sights set on now. I want to bring back respect to the position as well. There seems to be a stigma against defensive line man.I am going to prove that high TPE defensive lineman are valuable. When you play as a defensive lineman, you max early so that means you are going to be effective almost right away. A lot of people view this as a negative but really what it means is that you are able to have a much longer career as a defensive lineman. That is what they are judged on, not peak stats or crazy numbers but how long they were effective. I plan on coming into the league and being effective for about 13 or 14 seasons. That alone should cement my legacy as an all time great defensive lineman.




14) Make a scouting report for any of the NSFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights, or dead relatives. I’m joking about that last one, please don’t put dead relatives on the scouting report. Written option available for 200 words or more.


Myrtle Beach is known for always having a top tier defensive and a offense headed by two top tier running backs. That is the formula for success in the DSFL. In the 3rd round of the DSFL S22 draft the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers selected Nicholas Ayers. Entering the Draft Ayers was one of the more touted prospects in his class. It was an absolute surprise that he was there for Myrtle Beach in the 3rd Round. Ayers has a very good locker room presence. He is a very positive and upbeat person and keeps the locker room loose. Very good guy to have around. As far as on the field, Ayers impressed with 1348 Yards 7 touchdowns and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Splitting time almost 50/50 with another outstanding prospect in 3 Jeffrey, it is impressive that Ayers was able to be 5th in the league in yards. Ayers was under the tutelage of one of the best running backs in the DSFL last year in Dax Frost. I see Ayers taking a similar route to Frost. He has everything you want in a prospect. My draft projection is that Ayers joins Frost in Sarasota and they recreate the Myrtle Beach two headed monster that has dominated the DSFL

PBE CW

[Slothman07]

11:


13:



15:

[Lightnoir]

3.

I figure I want to take this space to talk about the Awards Committee some in this space where probably no one will read it. I'm not really trying to enact any change or anything like that, nor am I here to complain or whine. At the end of last season I had done a considerable amount of work in the DSFL Awards Committee (receiving the highest bonus, deservedly, and a lot of credit from my peers) in a private chat with CLG I joked that I had become the de facto committee head and as a response CLG asked if I literally wanted to be DSFL Committee Head. At the time I wanted to try something in management (a desire that's cooled quite a bit) and figured it was fairly low stakes so I took it.
I had a couple of simple ideas that I thought would help things run smoother. The previous year I had done the majority of categories myself with cursory approval from my fellow members. I figured if I could get people to commit to specific categories I would be able to spread the workload a lot more evenly. A very simple proposition, sure, but there was no real structure previously, so even these bones felt like a considerable change to me. It was quite successful in my opinion. I think it got people involved and reduced my personal workload dramatically (compared to the previous season).
At the end of this season I resigned from the position for a couple of reasons. Mainly I was just having trouble balancing my commitment to the league, both the committee and my player, with what I wanted and needed to do in my personal life. It turns out I also don't like telling people what to do or being involved in what I can only call league legislature. I feel bad pinging people about the awards committee when they might be at work or doing something important to them. I also didn't enjoy being part of rules discussion, it turns out I'd rather just be told what the rules are and then I can execute, but the back and forth was nauseating. At some times I wasn't even sure what parameters I was meant to be working within, and I was allegedly in charge.
I believe the awards committee as an institution has a few hurdles it has to clear before it's ready to survive on it's own two legs. First off I believe it needs a budget to pay it's members and autonomy. As long as the committee is living through volunteers it'll always come across as a secondary institution. I know for a fact many GMs act as if they know better than the committee and I believe that's due to the volunteer status. The committee needs autonomy as well, and what I mean by that is that it needs it's own internal rules that are voted on and applied by and to the committee. I think GMs and HO being responsible for Awards Committee rules is proper on paper, but in practice it leads to GMs feeling some sort of entitlement towards the committee's proceedings. No GM should be aware of what awards are what until they are voting on the ballot, which does not seem to be the case (I will say I actively avoided any NSFL Awards discussion like the plague, and I'll go ahead and reaffirm these are strictly my personal thoughts and not reflective of anything besides that, if anyone reads this).
Next, I think that the committee needs a standardized format for discussion and ballots. I basically created by nominee formatting from scratch, which isn't rocket science, but i had to make it up myself and i know that's something that threw other people because they don't want to post a messed up list to their peers. If there was standardization in the formatting I think engagement would rise slightly. It's not a ton of work, but people don't know how to do it innately, and there isn't anything in place to bridge that gap except for asking the Awards Heads or reading back in the discord, neither of which should be necessary in my opinion.
Ultimately, however, the committee is in a transitory period and I know for a fact the current heads are aware of many of the things I've just talked about and are in the process of making changes. I hope they keep the concepts that I brought in, but man, it was too weirdly stressful for me. Any failings my committee had I definitely take on my shoulders, because I feel like I struggle communicating sometimes and that may have spilled over. That's why I paid all my members the same, some did more work than others, but I wasn't much willing to crack the whip or coach up the people doing less work so I can't really pass any blame onto them.
Man is someone going to read this? Hey you, thanks for stopping by for my Ultimus Week rant, hope you're doing great. If you happen to have any dog in this fight PM me what you think lmao.

[866 words]

[TheWoZy]

14) Make a scouting report for any of the NSFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights, or dead relatives. I’m joking about that last one, please don’t put dead relatives on the scouting report. Written option available for 200 words or more.


Sam Howitzer is the Quarterback for North Carolina. He’s ranked first in this upcoming draft class. He led his team to win the Military Bowl. What makes him so special compared to the rest of the draft class is his passes and his intelligence. In his sophomore year, he had passing completion of 68.5% and 42 touchdowns. He will make any wide receiver look good because of his throwing accuracy. I would compare Sam Howitzer to Mike Boss, the quarterback legend for the Otters. Mike Boss threw so many passes every season and finished the season with the highest completion and had the most touchdowns. He had a lot of weapons like Westfield and Phelps but he made them look better. You give Sam Howitzer some good wide receiver in his first year and your team is already a contender. He’s going to be the greatest quarterback in his generation if he stays healthy. Last season, Sam Howitzer had a knee injury in the first game of the season thus ending his campaign with UNC. GMs might not want to risk their pick on someone who hasn’t played the game for a year but I think if you give a QB time to prepare and get fully healthy, they will play at their peak when ready.


10) Create an argument for your own player, or for someone else on your team, as to why they should be nominated for awards. Lay out their stats or compare them to other contenders. Make a convincing argument. Written option available for 200 words or more.

My friends AJ Lattimer deserves to be nominated for defensive player of the year. He had a great season with the Orange County Otters. He was the best defensive back in the league this season. He finished first in both passes deflected and passes intercepted. The Otters ended up first in defense thanks to AJ Lattimer. The team finished in first place in their conference. The offense wasn’t good this year yet they were still able to win 10 games because of their strong defense. There’s no defensive back who has both top stats in both categories besides Lattimer. This shows how good he is compared to the rest. He played like the best defensive player. I bet no one has put more effort into training than AJ Lattimer because his numbers weren’t that good last season and somehow he became the best this year. That just shows you how much work he puts into it. I really hope he wins the award because he gave his best this year to put his team in a position to win the Ultimus. I think he had his best season this year. This could be his last year in the NSFL so I think he deserves a price for everything he has done for his team.

17) Present your argument for the playoffs MVP. Show their stats and impact on the games that they played. Written option available for 200 words or more.

This year playoffs MVP is Mo Berry from the Colorado Yeti. They were the underdog in this playoffs but they were able to win against the best in the league. The defense of the Yeti was able to stop the opponent and the leader was Mo Berry. In the first game, Colorado hosted the Sailfish. Mo Berry had 4 tackles and one sack in the first game. The defense was amazing in that game. They didn’t allow any point in the first three quarters. The score ended up being 36 to 14 for the Colorado Yeti. Their next game, they played against the number seed, the wraiths in Yellowknife. The Wraiths have the best offense and they were the favorite to win it all this year. Mo Berry and the defense were able to shut down the Wraiths offense. They only allowed 16 points and one touchdown. Mo Berry had 10 tackles during the game. Mathias Hanyadi and Nate Swift, two of the best offensive players in the league weren’t able to score a touchdown because Mo Berry would stop them every time they got the ball. In the finals, the Yeti went to Orange County. The Otters scored 50 points against the Copperheads. Their offense is the real deal. Orange County had a 21-3 lead against the Yeti in the third quarter but Colorado was able to make a comeback and win the Ultimus. Colorado defense allowed only 3 points in the fourth quarter. Mo Berry finished the game with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and a sack. He was the anchor in that defense so I think he deserves the MVP because the defense won the cup for Colorado.


shl pt

[bk1689]

SHL PT
.

14) Make a scouting report for any of the NSFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights, or dead relatives. I’m joking about that last one, please don’t put dead relatives on the scouting report. Written option available for 200 words or more.

Colby Jack of the London Royals, What else can be said but WOW.In 14 games played in the regular season, He threw 394 times, only 2 behind the league leader. In saying that, he managed the complete 232 of his passes, 19 more then his next closest competitor. Throwing for almost 2400 yards all season, another impressive stat for a rookie, There's not one thing that he's not top 3 in sorting by leaders, except for the one negative stat, INT, where he is 4th with 9 thrown. Which is not bad at all considering how often he was relesing the ball. He took the DSFL by storm this season as a rookie, and looks to be the future franchise QB of whatever team is lucky enough to snag this stud in the up coming draft. Colby Jack had this to say about his phenomenal seasn. "Man I do what I do, that defense even geives me a split second, that balls going into one of my guys hands without a doubt, 14 games in and no one could stop me, maybe bring me up to the big boys and see if the can give it a shot"*

*Note. this is not a direct quote from Mr. Jack


16) Make a comparison between your own team and a playoff team, if your team failed to make the postseason, showing why your squad was better. Written option available for 200 words or more.

We finished dead last in our division, which is embarrassing for sure, but even more embarrassing is the fact that we would have been 2nd if we were in the other division in the league.In saying that, let's look at us, who didn't make the playoffs and the London Royals, who somehow did. Myrtle Beach final stats - 7 Wins, 7 Losses, 0 Ties, 302 PF, 217 PA. London final stats - 6 Wins, 8 Losses, 0 Ties, 260 PF, 360 PA. Wow, that's all I have to say about this travesty, just glancing at the stats, ya we only had 1 more win then them, but then you look at the point differential. We are +98, they are -100. That's crazy that a team with a losing record and a differential like that is in the playoffs over us. Maybe it's about time the league takes a look at just seeding the teams from overall standings instead of divisional to prevent future outcomes like this. The clearly superior team is not playing in the playoffs, and that's not even mentioning the team that finished above us in our division, but also didn't make it. In the end, I think the league will do the right thing and take a look at how they seed the teams from now on.

[Nhamlet]

SHL Affiliate PT

.
8) This task is exclusive to non-recreate rookies of the S22 class and later. In 400 words or more, how has your experience been in the league? Who have you met that has made your time here more fun, friendly, and exciting? Have you been satisfied with your player’s early start? What was it like being drafted for the first time? Do you have any comments or suggestions for the entire league that you think should be implemented?

It's hard to fully describe my experience in the league so far. Part of it is having some sim league experience coming into the season with roughly 3 months spent in the SHL prior to my creation in the NSFL. Because of that I had some 'first time' experiences already taken away from me. For example, getting drafted for the first time definitely wasn't quite like the virgin experience, where you didn't know what to expect and you didn't quite know how teams were going to judge you, hoping that you could stand out enough to get picked high enough. Still, I'm not going to take away everything from the DSFL draft. It was still amazing to get to experience that thrill again of having no idea what kind of team you would be going to, trying to do the research of where might be a good spot to land, finding certain places maybe being potential desired places and others that aren't as attractive but hoping to do well all the same no matter what. I think looking back at my player's start in Myrtle Beach, I honestly don't think I could complain a whole lot even with the position switch being a thing. I honestly didn't realize that position switches were such a common thing and I had spent so much time with trying to pick out a specific position and archetype, only to find out that it didn't really matter. Sure I could have stuck to my guns and said not to a position switch but I don't think I could entirely contain about making the decision. The only complaint I would have is that as part of the rookie introduction experience, that being asked to switch positions is a thing that's introduced very early on just so that people are aware of it. I feel like there is but since I haven't experienced it for myself, it would have been great to have a class channel in discord with fellow rookies to experience our first time experiences together and develop a bit of camaraderie and rivalry. It was a little bit lonesome trying to figure some things out on my own. Thankfully there are others in this league who I was able to reach out to and get support.

I will say that the general NSFL discord channel being a central place makes it much more useful and a general hub of chatting and activity. Thankfully not so much on the memery and shitposting central but just a general place for the league discussion outside of the site.

14) Make a scouting report for any of the NSFL or DSFL draftees. Show their stats, abilities, TPE, highlights, or dead relatives. I’m joking about that last one, please don’t put dead relatives on the scouting report. Written option available for 200 words or more.

LeBong Simwell is a defensive tackle of the Luchadore Tijuana's who was picked up after the trade deadline on waivers. As a 6'3 defensive lineman who enjoys stuffing the run, he has a lot of potential in him to become a great player. The greatest assets that he currently holds is his explosiveness of the line and ability to engage blockers before they're ready, or to blow through gaps and find the play developing in the backfield. This ability of his to fly off of the snap has him showing some promise as a 5-tech in the defensive end position but his role may yet be fully determined. The level acceleration right now is at a DSFL best and likely comparable to some defensive linemen in the NSFL right now. If he is to continue to develop into a fantastic run stopper with that ability, then the main areas of development required is his strength which at the moment can be considered lack luster. However strength seems more easily attainable over speed and as he continues to get stronger, will be able to surprise more and more offensive linemen at the point of attack and be also able to overwhelm them with either his speed or strength. Tackling ability is below average and also will need some work as well.


10/10 TPE

[Lowlycrib]

Tier 3

Championship Banner:


Game Cover:



Tier 2

7)
While everyone wants their teammates and others to have success in the league it ultimately leads people to wanting to have their own success within the league and become one of the greats with a shot to make the Hall of Fame. I am not immune from such thoughts and have seen myself staying invested with my player thus far due to some of the success he has been able to have during my time with the Sabercats in the NSFL. One of the major changes that has affected my player thus far in my career has been the ban of playing safety at linebacker, which i believe was a serious overreaction as their are other glaring issues that plague the sim and Safety at linebacker was inconvenient for awards at best. Due to this change i have seen a change in the stats that i have within the league and guys such as Danny Grithead who spent a large majority of his career at safety. Despite these changes my player has continued to thrived and currently has 40+ Sacks, almost 500 tackles, and 40+ pass defenses, which is a solid base to build on in the back half of his career. Through the last season before regression i look to have 50+ sacks and pass defenses and near 600 tackles, which is far ahead of where i thought I'd be. Before retirement i aim to hit 1050 tackles, which would put me 3rd all time barring any other players surpassing that number. I would also aim to hit 100+ pass defenses, which admittedly will be tough as a balanced archtype rather than a speed focused one but definitely could be possible. I also look to surpass 100 sacks, which would most likely be easier due to the spot i play on the field as i have average 10 sacks a season over the past 3 years. While i hope to hit all of these milestones with the Sabercats i may be forced to move elsewhere throughout my career due to my desire to play until i am forced to auto retire and possibly win a championship, which continues to look dimmer and dimmer throughout the rest of my career due to other retirements and the roster. If Tyron Brackenridge can near the stats i hope to throughout his career i believe he could have a shot at making the Hall of Fame but much of my career has gone undiscussed due to where i play and the relatively non eyepopping stats i continue to put up & i can vividly remember not even being discussed during my nomination for Lineback of the Year despite finishing 3rd in the voting and having my best season thus far, which points to the nature of the popularity contest.

(466)